Heater for airplane wings



July 19, 1932. A. F. THOMPSON 8 HEATER FoR- AIRPLANE WINGS Filed Oct.11. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR /7I'a'fi/Z/I' 777003050 ATTORNEY July19, 1932. A. F. THOMPSON HEATER FOR AIRPLANE WINGS Filed Oct. 11. 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVENTOR flm/r/a fz' Thompson ATTORNEY Patented July 19,1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARCHIE F. THOMPSON, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA,ASSIGNOR TO IGELESS AIR WING COR- PORATION, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA, ACORPORATION OF OKLAHOMA HEATER 30B AIRPLANE 'WINGS' Application filedOctober 11, 1930. Serial No. 488,069.

My invention relates to heating devices and more particularly toapparatus of that character for heating wing and like surfaces onairplanes.

The hazards of flying, incident to ice accumulating on airplane wingsand stabilizers at high altitudes or in cold Weather is well known, theadditional load of the ice on the plane often seriously interfering withsafe aeronautical transportation.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide apparatusfor effectively heating an airplane, particularly the wings andstabilizers, to prevent accumulation of ice and snow thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide for heating suchportions in individual sections so that inoperation of'one of thesections will not interfere with the heating conditions of adjacentsections.

In accomplishing these and other objects of my invention I have providedimproved details of structure the preferred forms of which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: I

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an airplane equipped with heatingapparatus embodying my invention and shown diagrammatically tomoreclearly illustrate the method of wiring preferably employed.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a wing portion wired in accordance withmy invention,

a cover plate being shown in disassembled relation therewith.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of a wing portion showing the coverplate in functional position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a preferred form ,of insulatorv used.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified I form of an insulator.

Referring more in detail to the drawings 1 designates an airplane havingthe usual wings 2, stabilizers 3 and a rudder 4. In

order to equip a plane of this character with means for heating the wingsurfaces and other portions'of the plane, particularly susceptible tothe accumulation.

of ice, I have provided electrical heating means including a generator 5mounted at a convenient location on the plane as, for example, beneathone of the wings as shown in Fig. 1.

The generator. is preferably driven by a propeller 6 actuated by airpressure produced by the rapid travel of the plane through the air, itbeing obvious however, that batteries or any suitable means forsupplying current may be substituted for the generator.

In wiring the plane to lead the electrical threadedly engaging sockets11 in one end of 7 the insulators.

An opening 12, or a slot 13, adjacent the opposite ends of theinsulators is adapted to receive a heating wire 14.- tapped from leadwires 15 and 16 leading from the generator.

The insulators are preferablyiarranged in lon 'tudinal and transverserows, as shown in ig. 2, and individual wires are strung on a luralityof the insulators .to produce indivi ual series of heating sections forpreventing damage to onecsection when an adjacent section may, for somereason, cease to operate.

The sections on the front edge of the stabilizers and rudders arearranged in like manner and connected to the lead wires in parallel toheat the front edges of the surfaces. The amount of current flowingthrough the wires and consequently the amount of heat radiatingtherefrom, is controlled by a rheostat 17 preferably mounted on theinstrument panel of the cock pit.

After threading the wires over the insulating spacers, a cover plate 18formed of light metal or the like is mounted over the sections and issecured to the metal covering of the plane portions by welding, asindicated at 19, or other suitable means such as screws.

A chamber 20 formed in this manner between the outer covering and theasbestos msulation constitutes a dead air space and conserves the heatsupplied in the chamber by the heated wires.

, With a plane equipped with heating apparatus, as above described, itis obvious that the travel of the plane through the air will cause anair stream to be forced; against the generator propeller, therebyrotating the propeller and driving the generator at a speed sufficientto generate current for heat- I ing the wires in the heating chambers.

jlhe amount of current supplied to the wires may be easily controlled bythe rheostat and the pilot can readily determine the extent to which thewires are heated by the coloring of the metal covering 18.

'By providing the heating wires adjacent the front edge of the wings,stabilizers, rudders and other portions of the plane which are to beheated, it is apparent that the heat will be carried along the entiresurfaces of such portions by the stream of air flowing over these parts,thereby preventing accumulation of ice on any part of the plane.

Due to the layer of asbestos insulation covering the surfaces towhichheat is directly applied, danger of fire is obviated, and with thesectional wiring as particularly shown in Fig. 1, operation of onesection is independent of an adjacent section, it'being noted that twosections of the apparatus are always in series in order to provide forcontrol-of the wing, stabilizer and rudder sections by a singlerheostat.

As a result of he dead air chamber between the layer 'of insulation andthe outer covering, a minimum amount of current is necessary to supplysuflicient heat to maintain the plane surfaces above freezingtemperatures.

While Fig. 1 shows only one wing provided with heating wires, which isdeemed to be suflicient for illustration purposes, the lead wires arecontinued to the opposite wing and heating wires are tapped therefrom inlike manner to produce individual heating sections.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with aircraft including a source of electrical energy,heating wires arranged on a selected surface of said craft, a layer ofinsulation between said surface and wires, feed wires leading from thesource of energy to the heating wires, means interposed in the feedwires for controlling the amount of current flowing through said wires,and a covering for said insulation and heating wires substantiallyconforming in shape to said surface and spaced therefrom to form a deadair chamber.

2. In combination with aircraft including a source of electrical energy,feed wires leading from said source of energy, individual sections ofheating wire connected to the feed heating wires substantiallyconforming in I shape to said surface and spaced therefrom to form adead air chamber.

3. In combination with aircraft including a source of electrical energy,feed wires leading from said source of energy, individual sections ofheating wires connected to the feed wires and arranged on separatedmembers of the craft. the sections of each member being connected inparallel to the feed wires and a section of one member being connectedin series with a section of another member, and means interposed in thefeed wires for controlling the amount of current flowing through thewires.

4. In combination with aircraft including a source of electrical energy,feed wires leading from said source of energy, individual sections ofheating wire connected to the feed wires and arranged on the forwardedges of separated members of the craft, the sections of each memberbeing connected in parallel to the feed wires, and a section of onemember being connected in series with a section of another member, meansinterposed in the feed wires for controlling the amount of currentflowing through the wires, and a layer of insulation between each memberand its respective heating wires.

5. In combination with aircraft including a source of electrical energy,feed wires leading from said source of energy, individual sections ofheating wire connected to the feed wires and arranged on the forwardedges of separated members of the craft, the sections of each memberbein connected in parallel to the feed wires, an a section of one memherbeing connected in series with a section of another member, meansinterposed in the feed wires for controlling the amount of currentflowing through the wires, insulation between each member and itsrespective heating wires, and a covering for said insulation and heatingwires and spacedtherefrom to form a dead air chamber.

6, .In combination with aircraft including a source of electricalenergy, heating wires arranged on a curved forward surface of said craftand insulated therefrom, feed wires leading from the source of energy tosaid heating wires, and a cover for said heating wires conforming inshape to said curved surface and spaced therefrom, said cover havingedges secured to the craft to form an inclosedchamber.

7. In combination with aircraft including a source of electrical energy,feed wires leading from said source of energy, insulators arranged intransverse and longitudinal rows on leading edges of said craft, heatingwires strung on said insulators and connected to the feed wires, meansfor controlling the amount of current flowing through the wires, andacovering for said insulation and heat-' 'ing wires and spaced therefromto form a dead air chamber.

8. In combination with aircraft including a source of electrical energy,feed wires leading from said source of energy, insulators arranged inrows on a selected surface of said craft, heating wires strung on saidinsulators and connected to the feed wires, a layer of insulationbetween the heating wires and said surface means for controlling theamount of current flowing through the wires, and a covering for saidinsulation and heating wires and spaced therefrom to form a dead airchamber. 2 In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

ARCHIE F. THOMPSON.

